


a study of owls

by mattsunsthighs



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Photographer!Akaashi, Post-Canon, Pro vb player!Bokuto, honestly this is just narrative and morning cuddles okay, i am so for photographer akaashi okay fight me, just dumb owls being gay okay goodby e
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2015-09-05
Packaged: 2018-04-19 04:38:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4733051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mattsunsthighs/pseuds/mattsunsthighs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As a photographer, Akaashi works to capture the very best photos of Bokuto, on and off the court. But there is one side of Bokuto that he likes to keep private from the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	a study of owls

**Author's Note:**

> a fanart and a few tweets led to this monster this was not supposed to be this long what happened.

After high school, Akaashi went into photography and built a career in the professional world as a pro sports photographer. His work was renowned, with his crisp attention to angle and lighting, giving him dramatic shots that bled the intensity and desperation felt by the players, making you feel like you were right there with them, no matter what the sport. Among his successes, it was widely marveled at the fact that Akaashi Keiji’s best photographs were those of pro volleyball player, Bokuto Koutaro.

Bokuto on the court was always a sight to behold, and Akaashi remembered how he’d always watch Bokuto move around during their matches in high school, lithe and powerful and dangerous, with confidence so strong it would shake their opponents. Akaashi considers himself grateful for those times when his eyes wandered, when his eyes focused on Bokuto rather than the match, because now he could apply that to his photography and capture the very best photos of Bokuto, ones where he could already hear the excitable man exclaim how cool he looked right as he pushed on the shutter.

When Akaashi wasn’t photographing professional sports, he would take photos of simple things, and his non-work portfolio was filled with candid shots of seemingly simple and fleeting things in everyday life; ranging from the apex of a puddle’s splash as a child played in the rain to the feathered expanse of a bird’s wings as it prepared to take flight.

Amongst this collection were candid photos of a certain pro volleyball player at random moments throughout the day: in a cafe with his eyes crossed as he looked at a splotch of whipped cream on his nose; seated on a blanket in a park at dusk, his eyes warm as they watched the sun set behind the Tokyo skyline; at an owl cafe, a look of child-like wonder in his eyes as he slowly approached the owls, his hand outstretched to pet one. All these little moments of Bokuto when he was off the court, when he wasn't Japan’s National Ace, but when he was just Bokuto.

There was one part of Bokuto, however, that Akaashi liked to keep private from the rest of the world, and it wasn't a part captured in a photograph. As much as he loved him when he was all wild motions and loud exclamations, Akaashi also liked Bokuto like this, when he was sound asleep, soft and relaxed, his hair out of its typical spiked style and flopping forward into his face, fluttering gently with every exhale. The blanket was tangled around his midriff and his arms were splayed out awkwardly and his legs kicked above the warm cover - but that never really mattered, seeing how Bokuto was a walking furnace.

Akaashi liked these days the best; where he didn't have to go into the studio and Bokuto didn't have morning training, because that meant they could enjoy these slow mornings they were granted too far and in between. These mornings, when all they had to worry about was what they should eat and when they should eat it, and whether or not they should go cuddle on the couch in front of the tv, or to stay in bed and laze about all day.

Akaashi looked at Bokuto, watched as he brought his lips together before letting them part again in his relaxed state, cheeks squished slightly against the pillow he had moulded to his face, a small puddle of drool collecting on the fabric. Reaching across the small space between them, Akaashi ran his fingers down Bokuto's cheek, and again at his forehead to brush away a few loose strands of hair. When he pulled his hand away, he was met with sleepy, unfocused golden eyes that were blinking against the morning light and Akaashi couldn't help the smile that appeared on his face as he watched Bokuto wake up.

When Bokuto was awake enough, and his gaze focused, his face split into a beautiful smile when he saw Akaashi. This was another thing Akaashi wanted to keep to himself, the way Bokuto smiled in the morning. It wasn't like the smiles he had on the court when his straight spike smashed through the block, or even the smile he had when they visited Bokuto's favorite cafe. No, this smile was for Akaashi's eyes only, just like how Bokuto's morning bear hugs were for Akaashi only. They way Bokuto would pull Akaashi against his chest, closing the small space between them, his muscled arms surrounding Akaashi with a warmth so welcoming that they could fall back asleep just like that in each other's embrace. The way Bokuto would pull back slightly to give Akaashi his sleepy morning smile: his tired eyes alight with never ending adoration and love for Akaashi, and his smile - small in comparison to his other smiles, but no less blinding.

It was mornings like this, when he was burrowed in Bokuto's strong arms, a smile of his own playing on his lips as a kiss was pressed to his forehead, that Akaashi was grateful for, that this was a side of Bokuto only he had the privilege of seeing.

"Morning, Keiji."

Yeah. He was truly the luckiest person.

**Author's Note:**

> i have a [tumblr](http://dumbass-oikawa.tumblr.com) and a [twitter](https://twitter.com/mattsunsthighs) for y'all to bug me at ayyeee~
> 
> please let me know what you think!


End file.
